The Year of Thestrals
by acciodublestuff
Summary: Seven years have passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. Four unique students enter Hogwarts as first-years: the curious Rapunzel, the inventive Hiccup, the adventurous Merida, and the mischievous Jack. Sorted into different Houses, it seems unlikely that these four would ever become friends. Yet, despite adversity from all sides, they manage to always end up eating lunch together.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The hood was lifted off her head, and she blinked rapidly to adjust to the light. She lifted her eyes to look at the black eyed, black haired woman at the other end of the table. She smiled maliciously.

"Good evening, Miss Rapunzel," she said, leaning forward.

"Good evening," Rapunzel replied. She frowned at her, and said, "I don't know your name."

The woman narrowed his eyes and stood up. "My name is something you don't need to know," she said, walking behind her and stroking Rapunzel's hair. Rapunzel shivered. The woman leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Dearie, the only thing you need to know is that you're going to be staying here for a little while."

"Here?" Rapunzel looked about the small room, covered in white wallpaper and devoid of windows. She attempted to look the woman in the eye. "I don't want to."

The woman laughed. "It's not a question of you wanting to be here, dearie," she said. She walked around to the opposite side of the table and sat down. "You see, dearie, I have something that I want, something that only your father can give me. So, we're going to make a trade. I'll give you to him if he gives me what I want."

"What do you want?" Rapunzel asked.

The woman tutted. "That's not for you to know, dearie. I don't like questions."

"But what if my father doesn't give you what you want?"

"Oh, dearie," the woman viciously smiled. "I don't think you want the answer to that question." She stood up and walked back behind Rapunzel again. She pulled on Rapuzel's hair and put a dagger to her throat. "And please, dearie, no more questions. Unless you wish to be punished."

* * *

Rapunzel had not talked for days. Her throat was dry, her stomach was empty, and her head was full of questions. What did this woman want? Would her father give it to her? When would she be free? And perhaps most importantly, when was she going to be fed? Since she had gotten here, she had not had a bite to eat or a drop to drink.

She cried often. She cried for her mom, for her dad, for her cat, for her bed, for her window overlooking the Avon River.

* * *

After many long days and many long hours, the woman finally returned. She smirked at Rapunzel, who was curled up in a corner with eyes red from crying. "Dearie, why are you crying?"

Rapunzel raised her head and gave the woman her most fierce expression she could manage. "I thought you didn't like questions."

The woman crossed the room in a flash and slapped her. "I don't like questions from bratty six-year olds," she hissed. She took a few steps back and smiled. "Dearie, I brought you some food! I am afraid I forgot to feed you, didn't I?" She took out a wand from up her sleeve and flicked it towards the door. A plate laden with bread and cheese flew in and landed at Rapunzel's bare feet. Rapunzel peered at it suspiciously, then unfolded herself from her curled position and ate voraciously.

The woman tutted, and shook her head. Rapunzel looked up, tucking a lock of her long blond hair behind her ear. "What?" she enquired. The woman kicked her and Rapunzel fell sideways.

With rapid steps, the woman walked towards the door. "No questions," she hissed, and then she closed the door with a bang. Rapunzel could hear the locks clicking on the other side.

Lifting herself back up into a sitting position, Rapunzel continued to eat. When she was finished, her appetite was barely sated. She looked wistfully at the plate, wishing that she had a wand like her parents' and could use it to conjure food, or maybe even to unlock the door and run away from that evil woman. But her mom said she wasn't old enough to have wand yet, that she'd have to wait until she was accepted to Hogwarts.

Still, Rapunzel thought, I can still use magic. There had been a few times where she had gotten really mad and magical things had happened. Like when she was really mad at her mother for cutting her hair short and made it grow back to the same length it was overnight.

Rapunzel stood up and walked over to the door. She frowned at it and thought about all the things that had happened recently: the woman slapping her, the woman kicking her, the woman calling her "dearie," the woman forgetting to feed her, and the woman not wanting her to ask questions. She closed her eyes and concentrated on these things, willing the door to open.

The building exploded.

* * *

She woke up to bright lights and bleeps and tears on her parents' faces. A muggle Healer (a nurse, her mother told her) allowed her to sit up and drink some water. After the nurse left, Rapunzel asked her father, "Why am I in a muggle hospital?"

"You were in a building in the middle of London, and the muggle police found you under the wreckage. You were… unexplainably unharmed," he explained, winking.

Rapunzel gazed down at her body in wonder. From what she could tell, she had no cuts, no bruises, or any injuries of any kind. "Then why am I in a hospital at all?"

"The muggles wanted to make sure that you were completely uninjured," her mother said.

"So when do I get to leave?" Rapunzel asked. Her parents chucked.

"Well, they said when you woke and ingested some food, you were free to go," her mother said, smiling radiantly.

As Rapunzel began to eat the soup the nurse had brought, her parents turned to each other and sighed. They both understood that this kidnapping might be a foreshadowing of catastrophes to come.

* * *

Her parents homeschooled Rapunzel, and tried to keep her from leaving the house. So, naturally, Rapunzel tried to spend as much time outside as possible. She relished the feeling of grass on her feet, and loved to climb trees and try to skip rocks across the Avon River. She drew the various birds she saw, and learned astronomy from one of her dad's books so she could look at the constellations at night. When her parents managed to force her to stay inside, Rapunzel read books without repose. At the dinner table, she badgered her parents with questions about magic and pressured her mother into letting her hold her wand. If her parents refused to answer one of her questions, she would sneak into her dad's library at night and look for the answer in one of his books. Her parents would often find her in the morning asleep on the floor with a book as a pillow.

When Clouseau, her father's rather dim owl, brought her Hogwarts acceptance letter, Rapunzel ran screaming through the house and into her father's library. "Look, look, look!" she exclaimed, shoving the paper onto her father's desk.

He closed his book and glanced at the paper. Smiling, he looked at Rapunzel and said, "I guess it is time for you to visit Diagon Alley."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hiccup tended to be teased a lot. He was scrawny and short for his age, and no matter how hard he tried to please everyone he always seemed to mess up. It didn't help that strange things seemed to happen to Hiccup, like that one time when he ended up on the school roof when running away from some boys who said they wanted to shove his head down the toilet. He tried to explain to the principal that he didn't know how he had gotten up on the roof, but she didn't appear to believe him. That was the afternoon that his parents revealed to Hiccup that he had magic.

"Magic?" Hiccup said, frowning. "I thought magic was just in fairytales."

His mother laughed. "No, sweetheart, magic is very real." She snapped her fingers and a plate of cookies flew from the counter to the table. She grabbed a cookie and took a bite, winking at Hiccup.

"Dad?" Hiccup said, looking over at his father for confirmation. He smiled.

"I can't do magic, only your mother," he stated, looking admiringly at his wife. Turning back to Hiccup, he explained, "We didn't want to tell you, in case you ended up not having magic. We couldn't be sure if you would inherit your mother's powers."

"So, wait, if magic is real… are the fairytales real?" Hiccup asked.

Both his parents laughed. "No," his mother said. "But if you want, I can tell you plenty of real stories about magic."

Hiccup's eyes lit up. "Please!"

* * *

Hiccup never really had a lot of friends, so he spent most of his time with his dad. His dad was an engineer, and he taught Hiccup how to build airplanes with some wood and a rubber band and how to construct a car using a mousetrap. His mother was not often at home because of her job at the Ministry of Magic (Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division, Ghoul Task Force Leader), but when she was, she gave Hiccup magical devices to supplement some of his inventions, including a punching telescope that Hiccup used to make a miniature launcher that launched stink pellets.

* * *

When Camicazi, his mother's owl, dropped Hiccup's Hogwarts into his lap one morning, his father snatched it from his lap and read over the contents greedily. Hiccup frowned and said, "Dad, give it back!"

His father threw the letter back, stood up, and patted Hiccup on the shoulder. "You better be in Gryffindor, just like your mother!" he said, smiling broadly.

"You don't have to be in Gryffindor," Hiccup's mother said, looking at her husband reprovingly. "We'll be proud of you, no matter what house you get sorted into."

"Except maybe Hufflepuff," his dad said, to which Hiccup's mother gave him a sharp glance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Merida knew she was different. And not just because she had red, curly, crazy hair or because she was taller than all of her classmates, but because she could _do_ things. Things she couldn't explain to her teachers, or even her classmates. Her parents told her she had magic, but that she couldn't tell anyone. So when the strange things happened, she couldn't say anything, and had to listen to people call her freak. Even her teachers seemed a little scared of her.

She ate lunch alone in the corner of the cafeteria. Nobody talked to her, or even looked at her. In class, when the teacher made them choose partners for an activity, Merida was always the one left out. One of the girls, the "most evil person ever" (what Merida called her in her diary) Mary Cotton, told Merida everyday that she was ugly, freaky, and stupid.

One day, fed up with Mary's insults, Merida shouted at her, "Maybe I'm a freak, but I can beat you up since I'm taller than you!" She stepped forward and jutted her chin up and frowned down at Mary. Mary looked scared, but snapped back, "You're like a _boy_," and ran off.

That particular insult didn't insult Merida much. She actually liked the boys better than the girls at her school; they let her play soccer and basketball with them. She was really good at sports, and everyone wanted her on their team.

But when they went back to class, none of them would talk to her.

* * *

For her ninth birthday, Merida received a broomstick from her parents. She looked at her parents, and they laughed at the confused expression on her face.

"Stand up," her father told her, "And put your hand over the broomstick." Merida did so, and her father said, "Now, say, 'Up!'"

Merida's eyes widened and a huge smile broke out on her face. She shouted, "Up!" The broomstick flew up into her outstretched hand. Her mother applauded, and her father came over to show her how to sit on a broomstick properly. That afternoon, in their garden surrounded by tall oaks, her father gave Merida her first Quidditch lesson.

"But dad," Merida asked, wiping some sweat off her face as they headed in after the sunset, "I thought that underage wizards can't use magic outside of Hogwarts."

Her father winked and ruffled her hair. "Don't tell the Ministry."

* * *

Merida often used her broom to explore the woods surrounding her house. Her parents had warned her that bears and wolves lived in there, but whenever Merida encountered them she simply flew up into the branches of the nearest tree and waited for them to lose interest in her. She had play sword fights with trees (using her father's real sword that she stole from her parents' bedroom) and used the bow and arrows her mother gave her to shoot at targets she constructed on her own.

"Do you ever get worried that she spends too much time alone in those woods?" her mother asked her father.

Her father chuckled. "The girl is smart and brave. She can handle herself."

* * *

When Angus, her parents' owl, brought Merida's Hogwarts acceptance letter to her, she ran outside to where her mother was gardening. "Mom!" Merida shouted, smiling broadly. Her mother waved her wand, making geraniums sprout from the ground, and stood up to meet her. Merida showed her the Hogwarts seal on the letter, and her mother gasped.

They opened the letter together. "McGonagall is still headmaster? Goodness gracious," her mother commented.

"Minerva McGongall?" Merida said, reading the name from the letter.

"Minerva McGongall is a great woman," said her father, apparating next to Merida. "She fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and was the Transfiguration professor for many years."

"Just because she is a great fighter and a good teacher doesn't mean she knows how to run a school," grumbled Merida's mother. She flicked her wand and another batch of geraniums sprouted.

"Ahem," said Merida. Her parents looked at her. "I think we should be discussing the details of my trip to Diagon Alley," she said, smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jack was seven years old when he realized that he could change his appearance at will.

It started when the orphans were all playing charades, and Jack was supposed to pretend to be a pig. He got on all fours and started snorting and squeaking, and everyone was laughing. Then one girl, red-haired Cathy Ames, screamed and said, "He has a real pig-nose, look!"

"Don't be silly, I'm just pretending to be a pig," laughed Jack. He looked around and saw that nobody was laughing.

"Wait…" Ernest Giordano said, peering at Jack's face. "It's gone."

"What?" asked Jack.

"The pig-nose," said Ernest.

Nobody seemed to want to play charades anymore.

* * *

Jack started spent some time at the mirror each morning messing around with his appearance. He would turn his eyes green, make his hair grow and become curly, splash some freckles on his face, and give himself a huge nose. But before he put the mirror back under his bed, he always turned his appearance back to his brown-haired, blue-eyed, pale self. He didn't want to give Cathy any more reason to call him a weirdo.

One May morning, he climbed down the stairs to see his group of friends waiting for him. "Cheerio, lads," he said, smiling at them. "What's the Dragon up to?"

"Cooking breakfast," said Bunny, the youngest of the group.

"Which means…" Jack said, cocking his eyebrow mischievously at the group.

"Time to fly from the Dragon's den!" crowed Isaac. Jack shushed him with a look, and they all moved towards the door.

"Jack," yelled Miss Wool from the kitchen. She came out into the hallway. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to!"

"Oh, dear Miss Wool," said Jack. "I'm being naughty again, aren't I?"

"Yes," she snarled. "And annoying, as usual. Get your behind into the kitchen this instant and help me with breakfast."

"As my lady commands," said Jack, bowing low to the ground. His friends behind him sniggered. Miss Wool sneered and walked back into the kitchen. Jack turned to his friends and said, "Ladies and gents, I am afraid I cannot come with you on this fine adventure. You are free to leave without me, however."

"It wouldn't be any fun without you," said Eliana hurriedly, blushing.

He smiled at all of them and then made his way into the kitchen to help the Dragon.

* * *

"Jack, come down, please," called Miss Wool. Jack was lounging on his bed and cracking jokes with his friends. He sighed and went and slid down the staircase rail.

"Oh, dear Miss Wool," Jack said. Then he stopped short. Standing next to Miss Wool was a massive man with a large white beard. The man looked at him under bushy eyebrows and asked, "Is this Jack?"

"Yes, Mister Frost," said Miss Wool, smiling (and looking as if it were painful to do so, Jack noticed). "Jack, come this way."

Slightly mollified, Jack followed Miss Wool and Mister Frost into the kitchen.

"Sit down, Jack," Miss Wool instructed. She gave Mister Frost a smile and went about making tea.

"So, Jack," Mister Wood said, leaning forward. "Want to leave the Dragon behind?" He cocked his eyebrow the same way that Jack did that always made Miss Wool annoyed. Jack smiled at him.

* * *

"This is where I get to live?" gasped Jack, looking up at the large metal gates with awe.

Nicholas Frost (Order of Merlin, Second Class, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot) smiled at the boy and patted him on the shoulder. "This is where you get to live," he said.

* * *

The gates opened and they walked in together.

"What did you just call me?" asked Jack, taken aback.

"A Metamorphmagus," repeated Nicholas. "You can change your appearance at will, right?"

"I didn't know there was a name for it," muttered Jack, running his hand through his hair. "I thought I was just weird."

"You are weird," said Nicholas, nudging Jack softly. Jack lightly punched him back and laughed. Nicholas added, "You can do other things too, you know. You're a wizard, just like me."

"A wizard?" laughed Jack. "Now you're just messing with me."

"Most certainly not!" boomed Nicholas, standing up. From his pocket he took out a stick of wood.

"Let me, guess that's your 'magic wand,'" said Jack.

Nicholas waved the stick and a smoke-like reindeer flew from it and trotted across the room.

"Okay, a real magic wand," Jack said, frowning. "No big deal. I'm nine years old and I just learned that magic is real." Jack looked up at his adoptive father and smiled. "This is the best day ever!"

* * *

When Phil, Nicholas's owl, brought Jack's Hogwarts acceptance letter, Jack was in the mirror, messing with his hair color. Phil dropped the letter on Nicholas's lap, and Nicholas shouted down the hallway for Jack to come. Jack ran down the hallway.

Upon entering the living room, Jack realized he forgot to turn his hair back to its normal color. Nicholas looked up at him. "White?" he asked. Jack shrugged. "I like it," laughed Nicholas. "Now, what did I call you here for? Ah, yes, I have a letter for you."

Jack took the letter from Nicholas's hand and ripped open the envelope and read the sheet of paper inside. He looked up, his eyes shining with excitement. "I get to go to Hogwarts!" he crowed, and ran around the house as Nicholas watched him with a large smile on his ruddy red face.


	5. Chapter 5

The good-byes at Platform 9 and ¾ and the journey on the Hogwarts Express are stories oft told and generally of little significance, my dear reader, and so for the sole intent of not wanting to bore you with details of the tears shed and the farewells given, your humble narrator shall only present to you two events:

The first, and perhaps the slightly more significant of the two, was Jack and Merida's first encounter. For the first years on the train to Hogwarts, there is much anxiety as to whom they shall spend the first hours of their Hogwarts adventure with. Merida, who had never really had friends, was utterly petrified. But only inwardly; outwardly, Merida held her head up high and looked into each compartment for an open seat. She was hesitating in the doorway of a completely empty compartment when she was knocked into by someone behind her. Turning around, Merida caught a glance of a white-haired boy laughing and chasing a Snitch down the corridor. She scowled, returned to the empty compartment and sat down.

The second event was arbitrary for the most part, and Hiccup and Rapunzel certainly did not see it at the time as a foreshadowing of their future friendship. Rapunzel was not particularly physically fit, and when attempting to lift her trunk onto the train, she had quite a bit of trouble. A brown-haired boy (our chivalrous Hiccup) came up to her and asked if she wanted some assistance. She smiled and responded that she would be most glad for some help. With hardly any trouble on Hiccup's part and quite a bit on Rapunzel's, they lifted the trunk up and into the train. Rapunzel thanked Hiccup, and with a parting smile, headed down the corridor, looking for a compartment. They had not exchanged names, nor even knew that they were in the same year, yet a spark had been lit, a spark that would grow into the flame of their long-lasting friendship.


	6. Chapter 6

The Sorting Hat sang,

_The school year has started_

_Friends that once had parted_

_Now find themselves reunited_

_And new faces join our ranks_

_And all look quite excited_

_Though some look very fearful_

_Fret not, young ones, be cheerful-_

_For I'm the Sorting Hat,_

_And won't bite you like a mud rat_

_Try me on, and I will tell you_

_To what House you belong_

_Perhaps Gryffindor, where the strong_

_And brave dwell, tried and true_

_There's Hufflepuff, where the loyal_

_And just dwell, unafraid of toil_

_Then wise Ravenclaw, where the astute_

_And witty dwell, always absolute_

_Lastly Slytherin, where the cunning_

_And sharp dwell, achieving their ends_

_So which shall it be?_

_Just try on me,_

_The answer is forthcoming._

Merida was one of the first to be called, and the Sorting Hat had no trouble deciding which House to put her in. "Gryffindor!" it shouted, and Merida flushed with pleasure. She took the hat off and ran to the Gryffindor table, sitting down next to a few girls she had met on the train.

Jack was called sometime later, and several gasped at his snow-white hair. He smirked, and Merida rolled her eyes, recognizing him as the boy that bumped into her earlier that day. "Arrogant jerk," she mumbled under her breath. Tatiana, one of the girls who had sat with her in the train, giggled. Merida glanced at her and gave her a small smile.

The Sorting Hat sat on Jack's head for a few seconds before shouting, "Slytherin!" Merida could almost discern a slight frown on Jack's face as he took the Sorting Hat off, but she thought she must've imagined it, as a smile shone on Jack's face as he made his way to the Slytherin table.

Right after Jack sat down, Hiccup was called up. The Sorting Hat took a much longer time deciding with him, and Hiccup's anxiety was evident. After awhile, however, the Sorting Hat finally shouted, "Hufflepuff!" Hiccup walked down the steps towards the Hufflepuff table, feeling thoroughly depressed. He thought of what his father would say when he heard that his son had been put into Hufflepuff.

Rapunzel's sorting was unique, in a way. When she was called up, several people perked up and paid attention. In certain informed circles, the Royals' name carried deep significance. Most non-first years don't pay all that much attention during the Sorting, and only jerk out of their contemplations about the food soon to be served to applaud when someone is sorted into their House. But several students and the majority of the staff turned their eyes up to watch the Sorting of Rapunzel Royal, daughter of perhaps the most important and obscure member of the Ministry of Magic.

The Sorting Hat had hardly touched Rapunzel's head when it shouted, "Ravenclaw!" The customary level of applause was heard, but those in Ravenclaw who knew Rapunzel's identity beamed brightly and welcomed her more warmly than their peers.

The rest of the Sorting passed without incident.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Rapunzel didn't mean to set fire to half the Potions classroom, but that's what happened on her first day of class.

It was her first class, and Rapunzel could not wait to finally be able to use magic for the first time. Potions does not directly involve using magic, but in order to make an effective potion one must use magical ingredients. Thus, Rapunzel was trembling with excitement when she was handed the snake fangs she had to crush to make a potion to cure boils. However, when she was stewing her horned slug, she allowed the cauldron to get too hot and it exploded in flames. Alec Montoni's hair caught on fire, and several other students' belongings started to burn. Professor Zehir was able to douse the fire quickly, but quite a bit of Montoni's hair was smoldering.

Naturally, this caused Professor Zehir to take away twenty-five points from Ravenclaw. Rapunzel apologized profusely to those whose belongings had been harmed and tried to apologize to Montoni, but he simply turned away in a huff. She received a zero on her first in-class assignment and was given extra homework.

The rest of the morning would have been extremely interesting, if Rapunzel was not continually shunned by her classmates. Eager to make friends, she tried to chat with her fellow Ravenclaws when walking from class to class, but they all ignored her attempts at conversation. When allowed to pick seats in class, all the Ravenclaws would avoid sitting next to Rapunzel.

At lunch, when it could be seen by all the Ravenclaws that they had zero house points despite several students gaining some, it quickly spread around the table that it was the first year Rapunzel's fault. So Rapunzel sat at the edge of the table, away from her peers.

Merida entered the Hall with Tatiana and some other Gryffindors. She happened to glance in Rapunzel's direction. Rapunzel looked at her with sapphire-green eyes, and Merida could tell that she was evidentially in quite some distress.

Merida stopped for a moment. So many times, she too had sat alone and watched as all her classmates walked past without a second glance in her direction. She always had tried to catch one of their eyes, but it was if she was invisible.

She thought how scary it must be for a first-year to sit alone on the first day. Merida had sat alone so often that it hardly made a difference as time passed, but she knew that many wizard children were kept at home and never went to a proper school prior to Hogwarts.

"Merida?" asked Peigi. "Aren't you going to sit with us?" Merida looked at Peigi briefly and then back at Rapunzel again.

"No, sorry," Merida said. She walked resolutely over and sat across from Rapunzel. Rapunzel looked up at her in surprise.

"Hi, I'm Merida," Merida simply stated.

"I'm… Ra-Rapunzel," stuttered Rapunzel. She so wanted to make a good impression!

"Rarapunzel?" Merida repeated. She giggled. "Is that really your name?"

"Oh, no, sorry," said Rapunzel. "I meant to say Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel? Still sounds like a type of radish or something," laughed Merida.

"Oh, I never thought it was weird sounding," Rapunzel said, tucking a hair behind her ear nervously.

Merida stopped laughing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of your name," she said, looking at Rapunzel beseechingly. "Forgive me?"

Rapunzel looked at her quizzically. "Oh! Erm, of course," she said, smiling.

Merida smiled back, and said, "You have a very nice smile, you know."

"Thanks," Rapunzel responded.

Merida looked at the other Ravenclaws around the table, who were looking at the pair and frowning. "What's with them?" she asked.

"Oh, I kind of… caused a fire in Potions," muttered Rapunzel, looking down at her hands in shame.

Merida burst out laughing, causing some of the Ravenclaws looking on to frown more severely. "You caused a fire!" she hooted. "Ah, that's brilliant," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "On the first day and everything!" She continued to laugh. Rapunzel blushed, thoroughly embarrassed. Merida saw and assured her, "I don't mean to laugh at you again. I swear I'm not trying to be mean." She leaned back, crossed her arms, and smiled. "You just don't seem like the type to set fires."

"I didn't mean to!" Rapunzel insisted.

"I believe you, no worries," replied Merida, still smiling broadly. "But really, you are a bit of a screw-up," she laughed.

Rapunzel saw that Merida was merely teasing her, like her mother often did. She began to laugh too, to Merida's surprise. "You're right, of course," she said. "Great way to make a first impression, I guess."

"Fire is the best way to make a first impression," said Merida seriously. She kept a straight face until Rapunzel started to giggle, and then started laughing again.

One of the other Ravenclaws, a third-year named Sibil Volunt, leaned down the table. She tapped Merida on the shoulder, and having attained the girl's attention, said, "I know you're a first year, so you probably don't know, but since you're not a Ravenclaw you shouldn't be sitting here."

Merida looked at her disdainfully. "Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" Merida stared at Volunt until she decided to turn and talk to her friends. Rapunzel looked at Merida with awe.

"You're brave," she said. "I wouldn't have been able to say that."

"Well, I guess that's why the Sorting Hat put me in Gryffindor," said Merida, smiling. She reached over and grabbed a leg of chicken.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Rapunzel's first class after lunch was Transfiguration with Professor Deronda. After comparing schedules, Merida and Rapunzel found that they only had two classes together- Charms and Herbology. Unfortunately, neither of these classes took place on Mondays. So they parted after lunch, and Rapunzel walked alone.

Due to several unexpected detours (with help from the ever-moving staircases), Rapunzel arrived about ten minutes late to class, disheveled and decidedly in duress. Professor Deronda frowned at her, and said, "Miss Royal, please sit. And try not to be late tomorrow." The whole class had turned around and was staring at her.

There was only one seat available next to a Hufflepuff student, and Rapunzel quickly took it to try and end the scrutiny of her classmates. Her deskmate hardly paid her any mind, as he seemed to be sketching something in his notebook. Rapunzel couldn't help it; she leaned over slightly to get a peek of what he was drawing. She caught a glimpse of what looked like a winged contraption when the boy shut his notebook. She started and looked at him. He was blushing quite a bit, and whispered, "Sorry."

"Sorry for what?" she whispered back.

He looked confused for a moment. "Erm… I guess for closing my notebook so suddenly," he whispered. "I guess you can look, if you like." He opened his notebook again and Rapunzel took a closer look. It looked like a dragon, except instead of flesh and bone it appeared to be made of metal.

"It's… totally awesome," murmured Rapunzel.

The boy's eyes lit up. "You think so?" he said a little too loudly, for Professor Deronda turned away from the chalkboard and asked, "Am I going to have to separate you two?"

"No, professor, sorry," said Rapunzel. Professor Deronda frowned at them for a moment, and then turned back to the chalkboard and continued to lecture about the properties of a needle.

Rapunzel took a sheaf of parchment from her notebook and wrote, _I think I recognize you._

The boy wrote back, _From Platform 9 and ¾?_

_ Yes! You helped me with my trunk._

_ I do remember. I think I did most of the lifting, to be honest._

Rapunzel smiled and wrote back, _Forgive me for my lack of muscle._

_ Forgiven._

_ Your name?_

_ Hiccup. Hiccup Haddock._

_ Mine's Rapunzel Royal._

_ Royal? As in, your highness?_

_ No. As in that's my last name, smart one._

_ Sorry. Cleverness isn't really my thing. Hufflepuff, you know._

_ Yup. Not that being in Ravenclaw really means I have any brains, as I've done a proper good job of making sure none of my fellow Ravenclaws will ever talk to me again._

_ Sounds like a good story._

_ It's too long and too pathetic to write down._

_ Don't feel too bad. Trust me when I say that, as a Hufflepuff, I am infinitely more pathetic than you ever will be._

_ Don't say that. There have been plenty of amazing, non-pathetic Hufflepuffs. Artemisia Lufkin, first female prime minister. Grogan Stump, the most popular prime minister ever. Nymphadora Tonks, member of the Order of the Phoenix and Battle of Hogwarts hero. Hengist of Woodcroft, founder of Hogsmeade._

_ You seem to know a lot for someone without any brains._

_ I just read a lot. _

At that point Professor Deronda told the two to look up and pay attention or he would Transfigure their heads into cabbages. They took actual notes for the rest of class.

When parting, they decided to meet up to do their Transfiguration homework at four o'clock, after the last class of the day. With a cheery wave, Hiccup departed to his next class with the rest of the Hufflepuffs, and Rapunzel walked slightly behind the rest of the Ravenclaws on the way to Flying class.


	9. Chapter 9

Jack certainly did not remember the red-haired girl from the train, but she clearly seemed to remember him.

"Oi," she shouted at him as he walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts. He strode over to her desk and lifted an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"You bumped into me on the Hogwarts Express and didn't apologize," the girl said, frowning at him.

"My deepest apologies, my lady," said Jack sarcastically, with a slight bow. He turned, but the girl hit him slightly over the head with a book. "Where you in a rush to? Class won't start for another few minutes, and you still haven't properly apologized."

He turned around, rubbing his head, and asked, "Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"Did yours?" she shot back.

"Don't have one," he said, staring her straight in the eye. She reminded him a bit of Cathy Ames, with her red hair and big attitude.

The red-haired girl in front of him was less of a pig than Ames, though. She had sharp blue eyes and a pale, freckle-less complexion. Her hair was curly instead of straight like Ames', and she spoke with a Scottish accent.

"Sorry, erm, I didn't…" said the girl, her tone more subdued. She was silent for a moment, then said, "Try not to knock me over in the future. Otherwise I'll do more than hit you with a book."

"Really?" Jack said, smirking at her. "What, would you hit me with one of those tiny fists of yours? Or maybe even try to hit me with a spell? I doubt you could even hit a turtle with a rock."

"Want to bet?" she said, bristling with anger. "I can hit a moving target with an arrow from ten meters away."

"An arrow?" he said, lifting an eyebrow. "What is this, the fifteenth century?"

"I can do it," she stated frankly, and with that determined and arrogant look in her eye, Jack just wanted to bring her down.

"Fine," he said. "If you can find a bow and arrow, show me how you can hit a moving target from ten meters away."

"If it's a bet, then there has to be a prize," she said, "something that one of us gets if the other loses the bet."

"Fine. If I win…" he said, thinking back to when they placed bets back at the orphanage. The prize that Jack always won was a rather simple one: extra pudding. But here he had unlimited pudding if he wanted it. He looked at the red-haired girl and thought of the thing she would hate the most. _Well, she hates me…_ he thought, smiled, and made up his mind. "You have to give me a kiss."

She laughed. "Fine," she said. "Good thing I'm going to win. And when I do, you have to go to Argus Filch and tell him you want to help clean out the boys' bathroom on the third floor."

"That's so much worse!" he said, recoiling. It was only his first day and he had already heard stories about the boys' bathroom on the third floor.

"What, afraid you'll lose?" she said, smiling provokingly.

"Hardly," he said, leaning back against the desk behind him. "Best of luck to you, Red."

"Merida," she said. "And you?"

He smiled at her and said, "Jack Frost." He walked away and sat down just before the professor came in and began class.


	10. Chapter 10

"Explain to me again why you made a bet with a Slytherin?" Hiccup asked.

Merida rolled her eyes. "If you keep worrying so much, you're going to give yourself grey hairs. Just help me find a bow and arrows."

Rapunzel smiled at Hiccup, hoping to reassure him that all was going to be fine. Instead of doing their Transfiguration homework as planned, she and Hiccup had been looped into helping Merida with a bet. Boisterous Merida had, of course, gotten into a spat with a Slytherin on the first day of classes. "It's not my fault, he started it," insisted Merida. Rapunzel wasn't quite sure she believed Merida.

Merida hummed to herself and continued to walk briskly down the hallway. Making a face at the gargoyles outside Madame Hooch's office, she rapped her knuckles against the door. An old woman opened the door, frowning down at Merida. "Yes, what is it?" she barked.

"Madame Hooch, m'name is Merida," chirped Merida. "I know that you have a locked supply closet which has the brooms that you use for flying class."

"What of it?" said Hooch.

"Well, you see, I heard that there's some other supplies in there. Including, maybe… a bow and arrows?" replied Merida.

"And what would you be needing a bow and arrows for?" asked Hooch, eyeing Merida and her companions suspiciously.

"I'm quite an excellent shot," Merida said, adding, "I'd like to show my friends."

"Hmph," Hooch said, still frowning. "Well, you can show me first. Come on in." She opened the door wider and walked back inside her office. Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel followed.

Inside were dozens of moving pictures of Hooch and famous Hogwarts Quidditch players. They lined the walls, and Rapunzel noticed a few names she recognized: Gwenog Jones, Oliver Wood, and Katie Bell. One picture in particular caught her eye, however. It was of a large, burly boy with flaming red hair that looked rather like Merida's.

Rapunzel nudged Merida with her elbow and pointed at the picture. Merida smiled and said, "Yup, that's my pa. Played as a Chaser and was part of the Puddlemere United team for a while."

Hooch turned around. "Your father is Fergus Bryars?" she asked.

"You bet," Merida said, putting her hands on her hips and staring up at her boldy.

"One of the best Chasers this school has ever had," said Hooch, and Merida beamed proudly. "And probably the one that took the most crazy risks," she added, and Merida laughed.

"He taught me all he knew," Merida said.

"In that case, I better keep an eye on you," said Hooch, but her demeanor was decidedly more relaxed and friendly. She even stopped frowning, and told them all to move along.

They finally arrived at the closet, where Hooch took a small key from a pocket in her robes and unlocked the door. She said, "_Lumos_," and the room lit up.

"Right, then, a bow and arrow…" she muttered, walking around the room. The three first-years followed her, looking around with a sense of awe. The room was lined not only with broomsticks, but with other artifacts, like old suits of armor and giant cauldrons.

"Aha!" exclaimed Hooch, spinning around. In her hands were a rather ornate bow and several wooden arrows in a blue quiver. "I thought these would still be here, considering I haven't cleaned out his place in ages…" she said, losing herself in her thoughts for a moment. Collecting herself, she looked sternly at Merida. "Now, show me how you shoot."

Taking the bow and quiver from Hooch, Merida looped the quiver around her waist and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "What shall I shoot at?" she asked.

Hooch looked around the room. She pointed at an unmoving painting a dozen meters away. "Can you hit that?" she asked.

Merida smiled. "Easily," she replied. She grabbed one of the arrows and notched it. Drawing the bow, she stepped back with one foot and aimed at the painting. She breathed out, and then released the arrow. It flew past Hiccup and Rapunzel's surprised eyes and hit the person in the portrait between his eyes. Merida relaxed and lowered her arm holding the bow.

"So," she said boldly, looking at Hooch. "Can I borrow it?"

Hooch smiled. It was rather strange that an old woman with such a stern and lined face could smile such a warm smile. "You clearly know what you're doing. And honestly, I don't think anyone else is going to want the bow any time soon, so you can keep it. If I really need it for some reason, I'll let you know."

Merida hopped up and down, squealing. "Really?" she half-shrieked. She coughed and composed herself. "Can I really keep it?" she asked more calmly.

"Just don't shoot anything alive," Hooch said, frowning. "If I hear that you've hurt anyone, I'll put you in detention for the next seven years."

"Yes, Madame Hooch," said Merida, giving her a slight bow. She straightened and smiled. "And thank you!"

Walking out, Hiccup said to Rapunzel, "She really can shoot well!"

Merida, who was in front of them, turned around. "Of course I can!" she said, eyes twinkling. "I don't lie," she added.

"I think you'll win your bet," Rapunzel said enthusiastically, as they stepped outside Hooch's office.

"Really, now?" said a voice from down the hallway. Jack stepped out with a few other Slytherins from under an archway. "I doubt you'll be able to get that red bushy hair out of your eyes long enough to hit anything," he said, walking towards them with a smirk.

"I found a bow and arrows, now you get to find a target," said Merida, glaring at him.

"Aye fund a buh and erroh," mimicked one of the Slytherins, a tall blond boy.

"They really think they're clever, don't they?" said Merida to Rapunzel. She giggled.

"Hey, blondie," the other Slytherin said, a rather bulky boy with curly hair. "Think you're so great 'cause you're a Ravenclaw, don't you?"

"Why would I think that?" Rapunzel asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Ravenclaws always think they're so much smarter than the rest of us," said the blond boy, sneering. "When really they aren't any better than the rest of us."

"And you look particularly airheaded," laughed the bulky boy.

"Hey," said Hiccup. The boys looked at him. "That wasn't very nice," he stated. They laughed at him.

"And what of it?" said the bulky boy.

"Oi, muttonheads," Merida said. "Shut your mouths, why don't you? And Frost, I'll see you down on the Quidditch pitch in an hour. Bring your target." She nudged Hiccup, who was still glaring at the two other Slytherins. "Come on, brave one," she said. He turned and began walking away from the Slytherins. Merida smiled at Rapunzel, who looked a little shaken, and took her arm and led her away.

"You alright?" Merida asked Rapunzel. Rapunzel nodded a little absentmindedly, tucking a hair behind her ears.

"It's just… I mean, people have been kind of mean today, what with them ignoring me, and all," she said, looking down at the ground. "But I understood why. I messed up. Those boys were mean to me… without even knowing me. At all."

Merida laughed sadly. "I guess you were really homeschooled, huh?" she said, sighing.

"People are sometimes mean because they think it's funny," Hiccup said, looking at Rapunzel. She looked away from the ground and up at him.

"It makes them feel better about themselves," Merida added. "That's what my pa always says."

"Which is just silly," Hiccup muttered, frowning to himself.

"It is silly," Rapunzel agreed.

"Which is why you can look them in the eyes and tell them they're fools," Merida said, smiling.

"I'll do that next time," Rapunzel laughed. Hiccup smiled too, and they all continued to walk towards the dining hall, where Merida told Hiccup she would eat five pieces of pie and still not be full.

Jack watched them go as the other Slytherins laughed over the blond girl's shocked face.


	11. Chapter 11

"This is a bad idea," muttered Hiccup as he, Merida, and Rapunzel walked down from the Great Hall to the Quidditch pitch.

"Hm? Come again?" asked Merida, turning her head towards him. The wind blew her hair in front of her eyes, and so she brushed aside a few tendrils as her blue eyes looked at him. Hiccup gulped, and wasn't sure he really wanted to repeat himself.

"He said that this is a bad idea," Rapunzel proclaimed, smiling slightly.

"Huh," laughed Merida. "You don't need to worry, Hiccup. I was basically born with a bow and arrow in my hands."

"Why?" asked Rapunzel, genuinely curious.

"Dunno why, but my parents have a lot of old artifacts around our house," answered Merida, shrugging. "Some of 'em are weapons. We almost have a complete armory in our basement. Bows and arrows of every size. I didn't really do a lot of… er, socializing, and I wasn't into readin' or nothin, so I messed around in the armory a bit."

"Didn't you almost cut your hand off or something?" asked Hiccup, eyes wide.

"Nah, my ma or pa was always there. And besides, when I turned nine or so I could handle myself," Merida said. She stopped suddenly and smiled. "Look, over there!" she yelled excitedly. Not too far away from them was Jack with just one Slytherin boy. She started to walk quite a bit faster, leaving Hiccup and Rapunzel standing and looking at each other in slight confusion.

"She's… excited?" Hiccup stated.

"That does seem to be the case," replied Rapunzel, staring at Merida quizzically.

After a moment, Hiccup inquired, "Why?"

Rapunzel shrugged and began walking again. "Come along, dewberry," she said, grabbing Hiccup's arm and pulling him along. "It is time to see Merida make a fool of someone. Either herself or that Slytherin."

"I do hope it's that Slytherin," remarked Hiccup.

Merida had already reached the Slytherin duo and was discussing how to measure out ten meters. "Not that it matters much," taunted Merida, leaning back and crossing her arms. "Ten meters or twenty, I could still hit whatever that rotten potato you have."

"Really, now?" scoffed Jack. "Shall we make it twenty meters, then?"

"The original terms should stand, it's only fair," replied Merida. "Besides, then we'd have to change the prizes to compensate. And I do want to hear your screeches as you clean the bathroom."

"Just as much as I want to kiss you," teased Jack in return.

"I genuinely hope you don't," muttered Merida, glowering at him.

"Not to interrupt the happy couple," Rapunzel interjected. "But I measured the ten meters." The whole group turned at looked at a glowing line stretched out in the air. Rapunzel walked to the end of the line farthest from the group. "Jack, you need to stand here and throw your potato straight up. Merida, you move to the other end and shoot."

"Need to warm up or anything, Merida?" suggested Hiccup.

Merida stretched her arms out, cracked her knuckles (an obnoxious habit, in Jack's opinion), and shook her hands out. "I'm all good," she stated. She took the bow off her shoulder and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her hip. Looking at Jack, she asked, "You ready?"

He had moved himself to the other end of the line already. "I'll count down from five," he stated, smiling.

"Don't throw it stupidly, alright?" Merida reminded him. "Just straight up. I won't hit ya."

"Five," he yelled back. Merida moved her legs into a wider stance and bent her knees slightly.

"Four." Merida nocked the arrow and lightly held it between her three middle fingers.

"Three." She raised and drew the bow back.

"Two." She exhaled and kept her eyes on the potato in Jack's hand.

"One." Jack threw the potato straight up into the air, as promised. Merida took aim and relaxed her fingers, causing the arrow to be released into the air. All eyes watched as the arrow shot through the air and straight through the potato.

The potato with the arrow lodged in it landed about a foot away from Jack. His eyes had widened and he was looking at the fiery-haired girl, who stood staring at him defiantly.

"I reckon you should go have a little chat with Filch," she said, looking at him with a fairly emotionless expression. Then she started hooting with laughter and bent over. "Oh, your face! If you could see it!" she laughed.

In spite of himself, Jack was smiling. "I thought you were all talk," he admitted.

"I don't ever claim to do what I can't," she chided, wiping her eyes. She began to laugh again and began to walk away towards Hiccup and Rapunzel, who were cheering for her.

"I'll get you back for this! Next bet, I'll definitely win," Jack called after her. She turned to glance at him for a moment and laughed.

"Bad luck, mate," said Flynn, walking up beside Jack.

"A bit," Jack conceded. He looked at Flynn with a glitter of excitement of his eyes. "Plenty of mischief to be done in a bathroom, though. Just imagine!"

"Making it so the water runs too cold in the sinks," Flynn proposed.

"The floors slippery to walk on!"

"Leave food in the corner so rats will come to nip at people's toes!"

"Doesn't matter that if I'm there to clean," remarked Jack. "It'll all be so subtle that Filch's old eyes can't see the little pieces of havoc at work!"

"While I'm certain it'll be fun, I will not be joining you," Flynn informed him.

"No," gasped Jack, widening his eyes. "You don't want to clean the bathroom that's known for its inch of grime that covers anything?" He smiled and winked. "No worries, mate."

Flynn flung his arm around Jack's shoulders. "I'm sure you'll have all sorts of stories about your exciting excursion into the awfully smelly world of the third floor boys' bathroom." Jack laughed, and the two of them walked off the Quidditch pitch.


End file.
